Loose-leaf binder



sept. 25, 1923. 1,468,846

C. D. TRUSSELL LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed Feb. 24. 1920 Patented Sept. 25, l923.

CLARENCE D. TBUSSELL, F POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TRUSSELL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF New Yoan.

LOOSE-LEAF BNDER.

Application led February 24, 1920. Serial No. 360,712.

T0 all 'wwm t may concern Be it known that L CLARENCE D.TRUS SELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented. certain new and useful lmprovements in Loose-Leaf Binders, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to temporary binders or those designed for binding together loose leaves in book form. It re ates particularly to so-called ring binders, wherein half rings or hooks are adapted to close together to constitute binding means and to l5 open out to permit the removal of the perforated leaves.

The improvement relates to means for opening the half rings or hooks, to permit the removal of the perforated leaves, whereby a lever shaped opening device is emplyed.

eferring to the accompanying drawings wherein one form of such device is illustrated,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of a loose-leaf binder showing the improved construction,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the binding device and the opening means,

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 showing one set of hooks and the opening means,

Fig. 4 is a top view of the binding device with the cover plate removed; and

Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2 showing the hooks closed.

Fi 6 shows theblank or stamping from vwhic the opener is formed;

Fig. 7 shows in plan one end of the back plate E;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section of the back and cover plates on the line 8-8 1n Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan of the opener in its preferred construction, showin in dotted lines the blank from which itis nt up;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the opener shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a transverse section thereof on the line ll-ll in Fi 10.

In the drawings, designates the cover of a loose-leaf binder, and B, .B the half rings or hooks for holding the paper.l C is a cover plate having transverse notches b b desi ned to receive the hooks B B and a .longitudinal slot c designed to receive the opening means and hold it in place. D represents the opening means as a whole. E is a back pl'ate of the usual construction for holding the hook plates, having its edges turned in as at Z Z and with portions near one endst'ruok up to form projections d d. The plate E is commonly resilient, serving as the spring for holding the hooks open or .closed, but this feature is not essential to the present invention. F F are plates car `rying the hooks B B and held in the plate E. The plates F F interlock with one another in any known way, as by means of a tongue and groove on projections f f; and may have outer projections e e which are adapted to fit under the turned in edges Z Z of the plate E to constitute a rocking bear- `he opener D consists of a single metal piece, or lever, with a button or thumb piece Gr. The part D is notched at its forward end to form a toe or lever-arm a and is notched at its rear portion to form a stop finger la. to enlgage the under side of the cover plate Cto old it in place. The under face of the part D is formed as a fulcrum or rocking bearing H.V The part D projects through slot c and is held in position laterally by this slot and by the two projections d d, as shown in Fig. 5. The lever arm a projects under the plates F F and in contact therewith. As the opener projects u through the slot o instead .of out throug the end of the binder, the down-turned ends of the cover plate C are allowed to completely cover the binding mechanism, no part of which is exposed.

In operation, when the button G is depressed, the opener is tilted to the position shown in dotted lines in Fi 2, so that by rocking 'on its lower edge il, its toe a is lifted, which presses upward on the plates F F forcing them outward, andthus opening the hooks B B. rl`he plates F F being spring pressed by the back plate E, will re. main in this o en position until forced back to the origina position by closing the hooks B B. The finger h abuts against the cover plate C and retains the opener D within said late. p The opener D requires only a very slight downward pressure to be exerted on'the button G, in order to open the hooks, thus forming a very simple and easily operated opening means.

The opener D is of simple construction, being stamped from a metal blank by a single operation. The button G may be made lntegral therewith and connected by a narrow neck lo.

The whole device may be best made by first unching out a blank as shown in Fig. 6, and then by one or more operations swaging down the portion m to form .the thumbpiece or button G.

A further development of the invention is shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, wherein the opener D is made of two thicknesses of metal 7" 1" which have a tendency to spring slightly apart as shown in Fig. 9 or Fig. 11. This is best formed by bending up a single blank or punching which may have the shape shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 shows how the metal is folded together at the neck portion 7c. In other respects the construction is the same as that before dethe top scribed, as is seen in Fig. 10. This construction is especially adapted for the larger sizes of books for which a large thumbpiece is desirable, as it enables this to be formed of the requisite strength without requiring a swaging operation such as that described above. lt has an important advantage in that since the two plates or leaves fr 7' tend to spring apart, they make a close engagement` with the guiding faces of the bent up projections d, thus avoiding any looseness or rattling, and may also make a similar engagement with the faces of the slot c. In putting the opener in place, the

two tongues 9 r are pressed together so that this spring tension is thus utilized. When thus together they function as one piece and.' the operation is indistinguishable from that of the constructon first described except for such freedom from looseness and rattling.

With either construction it is advantageous that the metal of the opener is used edgewise, the movement being in the plane of the metal, thus reducing liability of bending it in use.

Since the opener D is held in position by late C, it is desirable to insure against t is plate being displaced at the end or pried apart from the spring plate E, in order that the means for guiding the opener be not bron ht out of operative relation therewith. his is accomplished most effectually by clinching the plates C and E vtogether near one or both ends, but especially adjacent to the guiding surfaces of the opener. rl"his construction is shown in Fi 7 and 8, wherein the -portions p p of t e ange on the plate C are bent or swaged inwardly to embrace a portion of the plate E. To facilitate this, 'the plate E is best formed with slots or notches g q on opposite Sides, into which the portions p are ressed. By this means the two plates are rmly locked together lat their ends.

Laces Y The invention may be modified or varied 2. A loose leaf binder comprising a back plate, hook plates having hooks, and a cover plate, said cover plate having a longitudinal slot and an opening means movable in said slot.

3. A loose leaf binder comprising hook plates, a back plate and a cover plate, with an opener consistin of a 'flat plate mounted in a longitudina? plane, having a rocker bearing on the back plate, a toe engaging the hook plates, and an operating arm pro` jectinv through a slot in the cover plate.

4. loose leaf binder comprising hook plates, a back plate and a cover plate, with an opener consistin of a flat plate mounted in a longitudina plane, having a rocker bearing on the back plate, a toe engaging the hook plates, an operating arm projecting through a slot in the cover plate, and a stop adapted to bear under said cover plate.

5. A loose leaf binder having hook plates, and a top plate, combined with an opener formed as a rocking piece of flat plate metal, located and moving in a longitudinal plane transverse t0 the hook plates, having a toe engaging beneath the hook plates, said opener plate having a thumb piece in a plane transverse to that of the plate, the top plate having guiding means for the opener, and the thumb-piece of the latter projecting above the top plate.

6. A loose-leaf binder comprising hook plates, a back plate and a cover plate with an opener of plate metal ina longitudinal plane transverse to the hook plates, having portions lying between and engaged by said back plate and cover plate.

7. An opener for a loose leaf binder formed'of Hat plate metal folded to form two leaves, with a thumb piece in a plane transverse to that of the plate.

8. An opener for a loose leaf binder formed of flat plate metal in two thicknesses, constituting tongues which tend to press slightly apar 9. A loose leaf binder comprising hook plates having hooks, an opener therefor consisting of a plate movable in its own plane, and a plate engaged by said hook plates and guiding said opener, the opener having resilient engagement therewith to prevent rattling.

10. A loose`leaf binder comprising hook plates, a cover plate and l,an opener, the cover plate having guiding faces for said opener, and the opener formed of plate metal in two thicknesses constituting leaves tending to open slightly apart and thereby press against such guiding faces to avoid rattling.

11. An opener for a loose leaf binder consisting of a flat plate movable in its own plane, being formed of plate metal folded together to constitutetwo leaves or tongues.

12. A loose leaf binder comprising hook plates, a back plate and a `cover plate with an opener engaging and guided by faces formed on the binder, the back plate and @over plate being locked together near their ends adjacent said opener.

13. A looseleaf binder comprising hook plates, a back plate, and a cover plate, with an opener engaging and guided by said back plate and cover plate, the back plate and cover plate being locked together near their ends adjacent said opener.

14. A loose leaf binder comprising hook lates, a back plate and a. cover plate, the back. plate having notches and the cover plate having ears bent into said notches .for locking said plates together.

, 15. `A loose-leaf binder comprising mating hooks and a resilient mounting therefor, and means for forcing open the hooks, comprising a plate movable in its own plane for opening the hooks, rigid in said plane and having lateral resilient engagement with its mounting adapted to take up looseness and prevent rattling.

In .witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

CLARENCE D. TRUSSELL. 

